YBC Levain cheese sandwich crackers: I think the texture of cheese Ritz crackers is probably controversial, with it's fluffy texture and vaguely mild cheddar flavor, but I've always enjoyed it. These Japanese YBC crackers are similar but with a crispier, flakier cracker base; the cheese flavor is otherwise similar The bag comes with two individually wrapped stacks. Decent everyday snack. 3.0/5.0
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YBC Noir Cocoa Cookies: These are the Japanese equivalent of Oreo cookies, which I tend to have about once a year at the MIT Mystery Hunt competition. Since Mystery Hunt was completely remote this year, I wasn't able to partake in the normal consumption of college-dorm junk food normally shared in person to fuel late-night puzzling, but I still wanted to capture the spirit, which led me to purchase this snack. The YBC snack packs are ubiquitous and can be found at basically all convenience and grocery stores. Ov... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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YBC Garlic Steak Chips: Aerial is a junk food staple in Japan consisting of layered fried corn pieces with a crispy and light texture. The underlying fried corn flavor reminds me a lot of Bugles (which also have their Japanese equivalent in a snack called Tongari Corn), but the texture of Aerials is much more fun. This particular bag inspired by garlic steak is smoky and has an intense garlic flavor, the type that leaves an aftertaste so strong that I was a little thankful I've been working / snacking in isolatio... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Yoku Moku double chocolat au lait cookies: Buttery, rectangular sandwich cookie with a nutty and light chocolate filling. A delicate Japanese treat that has just the right amount of decadence. 4.5/5.0
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Yoku Moku Rolled Cigares: In Japan, there is a very strong culture of giving gifts to people you work with. There were several times when I found myself purchasing gift boxes from depachika, the underground food courts in Japanese malls, where you can find everything from boxed chocolates, rice crackers, cookies, and candies in beautifully ornate boxes. I would usually browse all the stalls before picking a few I thought looked the most delicious (which was both very hard, because there were so many options, and qu... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Yomayoshi Akamaru Shinmi Ippudo Ramen Potato Chips: These chips are an official collaboration with the popular Japanese ramen chain Ippudo, featuring their spicy miso and pork bone broth ramen called Akamaru Shinmi. I previous had their more traditional tonkotsu pork broth flavor, and you can definitely tell the difference with this spicy ramen version. It has a decent amount of heat but more generally a sharper flavor compared to the more mellow, rich flavor of the tonkotsu. It really does taste that ramen broth, with a meaty and complex m... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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